A technique for testing an incomplete interface mockup, named after the movie the Wizard of Oz. In this technique, a wizard (often played by a designer) fakes an incomplete (or nonexistent) system component to conduct early user evaluations, (e.g., a wizard can simulate speech recognition when testing a speech-based interface or location tracking when testing a location-enhanced application).
Published in Chapter:
Tools for Rapidly Prototyping Mobile Interactions
Yang Li (University of Washington, USA), Scott Klemmer (Stanford University, USA), and James A. Landay (University of Washington & Intel Research Seattle, USA)
Copyright: © 2008
|Pages: 16
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-59904-871-0.ch021
Abstract
We introduce informal prototyping tools as an important way to speed up the early-stage design of mobile interactions, by lowering the barrier to entry for designers and by reducing the cost of testing. We use two tools, SUEDE and Topiary, as proofs of concept for informal prototyping tools of mobile interactions. These tools address the early stage design of two important forms of mobile interactions: speechbased and location-enhanced interactions. In particular, we highlight storyboarding and Wizard of Oz (WOz) testing, two commonly used techniques, and discuss how they can be applied to address different domains. We also illustrate using a case study: the iterative design of a location-enhanced application called Place Finder using Topiary. In this chapter we hope to give the reader a sense of what should be considered as well as possible solutions for informal prototyping tools for mobile interactions.